A memorial in honor of Trayvon Martin is seen outside the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community, where Martin was fatally shot on Feb. 26, 2012, by George Zimmerman while he was on neighborhood watch patrol in Sanford, Fla.

A year later, and we’re still waiting for justice. Trayvon is dead. He would’ve turned 18 on Feb. 5, but instead, his heart hasn’t beat in a year. George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon, will be on trial this summer. A trial is what protesters and activists were demanding, instead of another black death swept under the rug as if our lives were worth less. But a trial in this particular case is not entirely justice, because there are deeper societal problems at play that mean another black kid could become the next Trayvon any day.

I’m not pre-emptively convicting or judging Zimmerman, who is claiming self-defense in the face of a second-degree-murder charge. I’m just dealing with the known facts. Trayvon is dead after an interaction initiated by an armed man, a man who acted as a neighborhood vigilante and who, as we heard on a 911 call, saw Trayvon as a threat who was probably armed and on drugs. Early in that recording, he says, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining, and he’s just walking around looking about.” A little later, he adds, “Yeah, now he’s coming toward me. He’s got his hands in his waistband. And he’s a black male.” That perception of Trayvon as armed, drugged and criminal hits the stereotype trifecta for a young black man. If Zimmerman had not been hopped up on stereotypes and vigilantism then maybe he would’ve waited for the police. Or not followed Trayvon.

Since the killing, there has been a concerted effort by Zimmerman’s supporters to define him as Hispanic — as if this would change the case by removing the potential of racial profiling. This is a clever way of combining the “people of color can’t be racist” meme (an idea most whites usually reject) and the “one-drop rule”: a holdover from slavery that said having one drop of black blood meant you were a slave so that new slaves could be created even if they had a white parent. This rule has not historically been applied to other races, and extending it to Zimmerman because his mother is Peruvian and his father German-American seems a strange stretch. Besides, race is a social construct, not a biological reality, so to evaluate whether he was racially profiling, we’d have to know what race Zimmerman considers himself. But even that question is moot once you realize that biases against people of color quite often reside inside people of color. Even if Zimmerman sees himself as Hispanic, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t view a strange black body in the distance through a racist lens.

If Zimmerman assumed criminal intent where there was none, assumed the presence of drugs and guns where there were none, assumed he was seeing a thug when we now know Trayvon was not, then he would have been applying racist assumptions to a kind of black Rorschach in the distance. He may be Hispanic; he may have had blacks in his family, as has been asserted; and he may have mentored black kids, as some have said. He may even have had black friends. But he may still have seen Trayvon in the distance and made a trio of racist assumptions about him. The test is not how he behaves toward every black person he encounters or whether he is racist all the time. The test is how he behaved toward Trayvon and whether he viewed this black stranger as an armed, drugged criminal, as the 911 tape suggests, and treated him as such even though he was not.

After he died, Trayvon became a political football. On one side, liberals were outraged by the delays in arresting Zimmerman for the killing, while conservatives seemed to almost reflexively defend Zimmerman. They either attempted to paint him as Hispanic — as a way to somehow remove the stain of racism — or attempted to racialize Trayvon in a way that somehow proved he was a thug, to somehow back up Zimmerman’s perspective. In this effort, Trayvon’s school records were drudged up, exposing him not as a thug so much as an imperfect teenager, a charge most of us have been guilty of.

What also surfaced were a slew of fake photos that were seized upon as images of the real Trayvon but were anything but. One of them, sent to the Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart, was actually of the famous Compton rapper the Game. That many believed it was Trayvon, thus confirming their worst suspicions, is yet another example of the way some think blacks are all criminals or we all look alike. It’s also indicative of the way the modern right often dispenses with facts in the course of making a point, whether it be birtherism, climate-change denial or the trutherism that inflamed skeptics of the 2012 election polling that showed President Obama in the lead. We are in a political world marked by intellectual gerrymandering, where we pay attention to different sources of news and base our opinions on facts we choose to buy into, even though some are not facts at all.

Justice in this situation is not merely a fair trial. Justice is a world that minimizes the sort of interaction that is made deadly by an insidious combination of stereotypes and guns. Even though the Trayvon Martin situation is a clear example of why the vigilante mind-set that the NRA carefully fosters is so dangerous, there has been no significant discussion about the problems brought about by that way of thinking and the ease with which civilians make mistakes with guns. There was no sustained conversation about the various Stand Your Ground laws, now enacted or proposed in 29 states, which encourage vigilantism and lead people to shoot first and ask questions later. This, in a society where violent crime is dropping. The gun-rights community would have us believe that 2.5 million crimes a year are prevented by citizens with guns, but this number is routinely unpacked as far from true. The FBI says the number of justified homicides (incidences of killing criminals during a crime) is about 250 a year.

We are simply not a nation of people policing ourselves with our 300 million guns. We are endangering ourselves and our children and suffering preventable tragedies like Trayvon’s death. We will be waiting for justice until people stop assuming criminality in young black men and America’s vigilante gun culture is under control.

Maybe if so many black people would stop helping establish the stereotype Zimmerman wouldnt have believed the stereotype. Seriously, it's a bad lifestyle and so many people of every race are involved, it's just blacks who seem to get all the blame. If you want to see a change you have to be the change.

Zimmerman's prosecution wasn't neglected because he is white but because Martin was black. You can't believe he wouldn't have been arrested if he had killed someone's innocent white 17 year kid who was visiting a resident of the community.

No Toure, youre not "just stating the fact"! You've spun this trial from day one, as a "racially motivated murder trial". You are a hopeless racist, and along with Sharpton and Jackson, you play the race card any time possible!! I cant stand MSNBC and especially 'The Cycle', and youre the worst! Angry, militant, black man in a suit spouting racist bigotry and lies! We get it... you hate white people, but you're beloved Treyvon DID assault GZ, which is all that matters! Who initiated the attack? Who was on top of who? Who was more likely the punkass thug? TM was no innocent child, and your attempt at pushing this false narrative is transparent as hell!! Nice try Toure, but I like you even less...if that's possible!! HORRIBLE BIT OF SPIN and LIES!!

Toure' you sir are a racist, you left out the part where MSNBC was exposed for editing the 911 call to make it look racist. Why have you not spoke about the 100s of black on black crimes that happen every day? Are they racist also? Not in your eyes it only means something if Al screams about it. There is a reason your rating are so bad. Try researching BEFORE you open your mouth. Sad day when main stream ALWAYS gets it wrong but then again people like you have helped new media do so well.

Does Time even make an effort to research & get facts? I haven't a clue as to whether Zimmerman is guilty but I certainly know Time is guilty of gross journalism negligence. This is exactly why Time's subscription base continues to dwindle. The National Enquirer is cheaper & just as accurate.

it is not against the law to get out of a car and walk down the sidewalk. does not matter if there is a black, white, green or blue person already on the sidewalk or not. it is a public sidewalk and any color person can walk down it. In this case it was stupid for GZ to get out of the car against the advice of the 911 operator, but not against the law. If TM had just sat down on the curb and waited for the police I do not believe he would have been shot. If he would have just continued home I do not believe he would have been shot. If he was scared and ran away there is now way GZ could have followed and no one would have been shot. It was not illegal for TM to confront GZ about following him, but it was stupid. OK so they were both stupid. Stupid is not illegal, but in this case it is tragic. If GZ grabbed, hit, or tried to detain TM before TM punched GZ then He would be guilty of starting the fight and responsible for its horrible conclusion. If TM sucker punched GZ first then GZ had a right to defend himself. No one saw the start of the fight that lead to TM being shot. the defense only needs a reasonable story and they have one. there is no way GZ should be found guilty not because he can absolutely prove it was self defense, but because the prosecution can't prove it was not.

George Zimmerman should never have been arrested. Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense. Zimmerman was only arrested to appease bigots like Rev. Al "fake rape" Sharpton and Rev. Jesse "blackmail'em" Jackson. Those involved in creating and funding illegal Zimmerman wanted poster and bounty are people who should be arrested and prosecuted.

Author of this article, Toure` is himself a hypocrite and a bigot. Toure` whines about "while conservatives seemed to almost reflexively defend Zimmerman. They either attempted to paint him as Hispanic", yet fails to mention NAACP, NBP, and black bigots painting Zimmerman as White racist murderer, and painting of Trayvon as harmless child, merely out for candy, who hid in fear for his life.

If author, Toure` had any credibility and integrity, he would report on "Polar bear hunting" game. Toure` would report on rioting black mobs that are attacking non-whites just for fun and sport, and he would report on cities canceling 4th of July celebrations due to past problems with out of control blacks.

An elderly Friend of mine was taking his daily late afternoon walk in the small town he was born and raised in as he had for years. He noticed four youths riding there bikes back and forth paying very close attention to him. It made him nervous but he continued on. He fought in Vietnam and saw and dealt with things most of us never had to and even though he was up in age, he was no tiny man, not someone I would pick a fight with, and I am six four, 250. But it didn't seem to make a bit of difference to the four boys he happened across that afternoon because they beat him within an inch of his life and took the few dollars he had on him. He was in the hospital for over a week and out of work for months. When he finally did come back he was not the same person I knew for all these years. He deals with depression and quit walking every afternoon, its a shame. When he does walk, which is rare, he carries a weapon to protect himself and has told me many times that if he had one that day he would have used it. And if he had, he would have no doubt been headlines in every paper and news cast in town. Maybe even nation wide because you see the victim was WHITE, the four youths were all black. They were tried and their mother cried racism at the hearing. Again a shame. But what might surprise you Mr. "Toure" is that there were NO headlines, just a small 2 inch by three inch article buried somewhere in section B and that mentioned no race of any kind. I remember this because I had to call to find out why there was no article. But there was, a very small, inconspicuous, vague one. The reason for this probably way to long rant you ask? Well if you haven't already gotten my point, I'll put it as it was in the very powerful movie "A Time To Kill".......Imagine the elderly man was black and the four youths were white......

If I were in that situation I would have shot him. Simple. If G.Z. didn't shoot him he could have very well have been killed himself. T.M. was a thug wondering around at night in the rain looking as suspicious as HELL.And that has nothing to do with what color he was. If that were me, I would have simply explained myself when confronted by a man that was simply doing the job that he volunteered for (to put himself in harms way to protect others). I'm sick of black America hiding behind the race card. Anything negative happens in your lives, it's because of the white man even if the person that they blame it on IS NOT WHITE!!! Get over it and stop sensationalizing it. Save it for when it is deserved. There is plenty of racism in EVERY race. We do not need to create it. And before you call ME racist to argue against my opinion instead of proving me wrong with facts, you might be surprised at my family makeup. So like I said earlier, save it for when it is truly needed.

The 2 million number is erroneous, but bringing up justifiable homicides in this context is a greater mistake and one I can't see being made in good faith. It's as though a crime is only prevented if the "bad guy" dies. No grown person believes this--and it's been documented that in most defensive uses of firearms no shot is even fired.

What would our attitudes be if Trayvon were white? I wonder. I doubt that there would be organized protests and I doubt that our news media would pay much attention to it.

This is a tragedy and my heart goes out to this young man's parents and family but there is a double standard in this country and race relations have disintegrated in recent years because of it. Florida is already preparing for the aftermath if Zimmerman is acquitted, there will be riots. If Trayvon were white, would that be the case? Somehow I doubt it.

Black people and white liberals who are so desperate to appease black people were convinced Zimmermna was guilty before they even knew what happened. The media's been full of nothing but lies and race baiting, they even edited phone calls to incriminate Zimmerman.

This whole thing shows how racist Black America is, and the double standards.

Trayvon very most likely attacked George because Diamond Eugene (aka Jeantel) had just told him she thought the "creepy ass cracker" was out looking to rape him. Black men are brainwashed from birth (by the liberal Media, their music,all the African American (their) leaders, etc) the white man is racist, hates black men and will rape you of everything you got the second you let down your guard. Of course that’s why sweet, little innocent Trayvon turned around and attacked George. Duh. Getting raped by a “creepy ass cracker” like everyone always told him he would be…HELL no! Trayvon attacked George, as to be expected.

Zimmerman physically can't catch Trayvon, legally can't block his way or detain him, can't display his gun in any way, and within 5 or 10 feet being armed becomes a hazard due to physical attacks and the attacking getting the gun.

So what is the presumption without evidence by the haters, he followed him etc. Very pathetic. Followed him from where to where? The crime scene is the same location where Zimmerman stopped when the dispatch said we don't need you to do that. Don't they realize you need to go someplace to follow someone, not stay where you are.

When journalists become advocates, we no longer know the truth. Toure, if you want to make some compelling points using a current event as a segue into the discussion, get your facts straight on that current event. Journalists have to be honest before we will listen to their advocacy.

If Trayvon's behavior is typical for black youth, I want to carry a gun in their presence.

I love how the Zimmerman fanbois contort and convolute everything to make Zimmerman some kind of victim when nearly all the evidence shows he's a wanna-be cop vigilante who got himself in a bad situation, killed an innocent kid and who should be punished by any standard. You people are pathetic. If it was your kid you'd be screaming for justice, but it's just some random black guy Fox News has portrayed as "a thug" and now you're all going with that instead of looking at the facts without prejudice.

You're all losers. When the history is writ it will show America to be dominated by a bunch of back-assward racists. And George Zimmerman will be a pariah.

Toure, you lying sack of excrement! The entire base assumption underlying your article is a complete fabrication! It was you pricks in the media who first emphasized the white guy shoots innocent little black kid angle. *YOU* played the race card, trying to gin up controversy. It was *your* liberal "fellow travelers" at NBC who played edited 911 recordings to make Zimmerman's motives sound racist. We only mentioned Zimmerman's actual race to point out your hypocrisy. After that, you journalists came up with this whole "white hispanic" thing (a demographic consisting of 1 person, apparently) to keep the race card in play. In addition, you plastered the picture of the 12 year old Martin everywhere, while neglecting to mention that he was 17 years old, 6 ft. 1 inch, and a solid 160 pounds at the time of the incident.

#2) Zimmerman described Martin as walking around in a daze in the rain, as if high on drugs (later proven to be *true*). He was trained by the Sanford Police (as a neighborhood watch captain) to report anything remotely suspicious. If I saw someone walking around in a daze during a torrential downpour, I would report it, too, regardless of the person's race.

#3) Zimmerman never said anything about Martin having a weapon, only that he kept reaching for his waistband.

#4) We conservatives aren't defending Zimmerman. Rather, we are defending the American legal tradition which holds that all are *innocent* until *proven* guilty. We see you and your fellow "journalists" (sensationalists, really) along with the so-called civil rights leaders as trying to whip up a lynch mob and/or kangaroo court trial.

Make no mistake, since I'm not racist (unlike you, apparently), if the actual evidence and forensics shows that Zimmerman really did instigate the fight, I don't ever want to see that man spend one more day of his life outside of a jail cell. Killing a minor ranks up there as one of the worst crimes a person can commit, in my book. In fact, I would push for the death penalty, personally, if that were a possibility. If, however, the evidence does not show him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, he must go free with no further repercussions. Anything else would be an injustice.

This was not a liberal / conservative divided issue in the beginning. Fox News sat on a Tampa affiliates interview of an eyewitness for over a month while they fanned the flames with the rest of them. I still am trying to figure out what happened back then. Was it ad revenues or fear to report the truth with all the protests going on. Nearly all the evidence we are seeing now was there before GZ's arrest.....abhorrant media manipulation or ignorance or fear?

@Bear2001 If Trayvon was white, their would be no need for a protest because his killer would have already been in jail. The reason why its getting so much press is because of the racism involved, because how many times black men are killed on average for being seen as violent when they are not. White children do not go threw the same stereotypes as black children, and their killer is usually not made out to be the victim in a situation where they are the one holding a gun. When white kids are killed without any justice and told that they somehow brought on themselves then get back to me about double standards.

@RobSutton Rob, You are the pathetic one buddy! How could TM be "an innocent kid", when he is the one that initiated the conflict?? TM attacked GZ, mounted him, threw down punches. Does that sound innocent to you? He got shot for being a punkass thug. Unfortunate, but I don't feel sorry for the victim when they were actually the ATTACKER!! Maybe itll make a few urban thugs think twice before getting violent. LESSON: You never know whos packin, so be a punkass at your own risk!! BTW You sir, are likely a racist for being blinded by the fact that TM is a BLACK victim! Thought you should know.

@RobSutton Fantasies in blogs are not generally considered evidence. None of the legally acceptable evidence contradicts Zimmerman's claim of self defense.

Trayvon attacked a weaker looking smaller man, he didn't attack man to man, he used a sucker punch to catch Zimmerman off guard and break his nose and knock him to the ground. Trayvon didn't stop at the point with Zimmerman helpless on the ground with his nose broken, Trayvon sat on Zimmerman and beat him for a minute while Zimmerman screamed for help.

Relax...I have kids, teenage kids, who have been trained to use both their hands and feet for self-defense. I'm going to type that last part again...for self-defense. Not to attack and maim.I have gone over this at length with each and told them of the consequences of hurting someone. Did TM dad not have this talk with him? You hit someone in self-defense, not because you're angry and you want to. Punches/kicks can kill...there is a responsibility in using violence...it is a last resort, not the first choice. I wish TM had known this. BTW, FOX News didn't make TM do drugs on u-tube, get tatted up, post flip-off pics online, or use racial epithets...if GZ is going to be portrayed as a wanna-be cop vigilante (your words) then TM can be portrayed as a 'thug', with both being fairly appropriate.

@dbackscott U mad, bro? Your whole "NBC edited the tape" nonsense has nothing to do with the actual court case. But you racists keep grasping at any straw you can to justify the killing of an unarmed black youth walking home, and who was stalked and assaulted by a crazy vigilante cop wanna-be who has lied over and over again.

Get a grip man. Zimmerman is mentally unbalanced and shouldn't have followed Martin. Even if he is acquitted he will be the 2nd most hated person in the country behind Casey Anthony. Deal with it.

Jazzy, you got ONE thing right...there is racism involved, but its ALL on the TM side. With people like Al Sharpeton, Toure and the rest of MSNBC trying to present the false narrative that race had anything to do with it. Facts, not skin color, is all that matters, and the facts are that TM initiated the assault on GZ, mounted him, dropped punches and bashed his head into the concrete, at which point GZ defended himself by shooting a young angry thug!!! PERIOD!! Those (like you) who back the assailant simply because hes black and dead...those are the racists!

@Telnitlikitis See, you're assuming that TM instigated the altercation while giving GZ the benefit of the doubt. It really doesn't matter who started the fight. The fact is GZ has told numerous lies about everything that happened and his injuries don't add up to someone in fear for his life.

He might get off on a technicality, but we will all know he's guilty just like we knew Casey Anthony and OJ were guilty.

@RobSutton@dbackscott Rob, wake up You're the racist! TM cant be innocent when hes the one that initiated the attack! Apparently facts elude you, so let me help: TM was the ATTACKER! GZ defended himself from being pummeled into the concrete!! You should know that by being blinded to the facts and law, because TM is a BLACK victim, makes you a total RACIST! The only fact that matters is who attacked who? The rest is a desperate attempt for racist blacks to distract by playing the race card!

You are asking U mad, bro? but honestly, you seem angry. Why? If the truth prevails isn't that what everyone wants? You seem to have a dog in this hunt...is it a conviction regardless of truth? Its easy...Florida has a bad law and it will be changed (most likely) despite the outcome. But the prosecution asked for the wrong charge, murder. They should've asked for manslaughter but Sharpton, Jackson, etc. wanted as much media attention as possible, absolutely knowing that if GZ goes free due to the challenge of a murder conviction that their faces could be ALL over the news (and they will be). Push for the truth, not a conviction you want regardless of truth. THAT would be a crime.

@Visteo The so-called race baiters have a very good reason for questioning how law enforcement handled this initially.

The 'OMG the media is biased' crowd are the ones who actually control and influence all corporate media. It's really a stupid premise. But that sells on Fox Noise just like the National Inquirer sells. People are stupid.

Trayvon's parents never should have had their "day in court". Because doing so was a violation of Florida's laws, along with serious judicial mistake of bending to will of protesting mobs and black opportunists.

Rob, I felt like you a year ago. But I was troubled that today an arrest would not be forthcoming.

I searched out all the evidence available at the time...police reports, interviews, 911 calls, etc. Much to my surprise the evidence supported Zimmerman's account. I have been pissed at the media ever since. Why had they painted such a deceptive picture? Was it ratings? Fear to be the first to tell the truth while the race baiters were screaming their chants? Not one media outlet (including FOX) was putting out a story based on real investigating.

I understood why they did not charge him and was shocked when they did. I am still waiting for the smoking gun the prosecution has.....maybe this is all a show to appease the race baiters.

No benefit of the doubt...he's a guy (GZ) that wasn't prepared to walk the neighborhood and shouldn't have been. He was ill prepared for a fight, hence having the gun. Even so, if TM doesn't BREAK HIS NOSE and BEAT HIM DOWN I believe he would still be alive today. Clear cut case of manslaughter being tried as murder...stupid. You either want jail time or you don't, and you can only prove what the facts allow you to prove. Prosecution is up against it...and the 'creepy a** cracker' revelation didn't help

@RobSutton: "You don't have to be angry to see the nonsense of veiled bigotry here."

You have to blind with anger to not see the blatant black bigotry that unjustly led to arrest and court trial of George Zimmerman.

How would you feel if ten thousand whites in numerous mobs threatened lives of those participating in "Polar Bear Hunting" game? Demanded they all (even ones just watching) be arrested and tried for attacks and beatings of Polar Bear game. How would you feel if Wanted Posters were put up with rewards totaling millions of dollars for the aforementioned game players? How would you feel if leaders from KKK led those white mobs?

Now, how would you feel if our Justice system gave into those demands and arrested and tried all those participating, including those who just watched?

@Telnitlikitis I agreed with you. The state of Florida pushed for murder to placate the masses and avoid race riots. It should have been manslaughter from the get to based on the evidence they had. Unless they are going to surprise us later with some big evidence. (like the forensics)

You push for what you can get...to prove murder you HAVE to prove intent. Tell me the last time a murderer called 911, gave their name, let the intended victim beat them savagely and THEN committed the murder. This case is a slam dunk manslaughter case that is stupidly being tried as murder. Foolish

Come on now...outside of people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson don't we as a country want the truth to always prevail? I do...I'm not looking for a pay-day, I'm looking for clear cut truth, about everything. Who really killed JFK? How'd OJ not go to jail? Who is really running the worlds economy? And why in the world did the state of Florida push for murder in a manslaughter slam-dunk case like this? We eventually have to have trust in one another across racial lines and that won't ever happen if leaders keep pushing their own agenda...we the people lose, everytime. Time to take off ALL veils and have complete transparency.